A little over a month ago I went backpacking with the intention to summit Mt Hooper. We figured that if we hiked up to Hooper Lake and Neil Lake that we'd find a way to scramble to the summit. It turned out that sheer faces and cliff bands shunted this plan. I was a little disappointed not to summit, but the area was still great to be in. Fast forward to a week ago when I hear from my brother that he, Charlie Rose, and Kenny Rose are going to Hooper. I had figured out the way not to go and had a suspicion of how to bag it.
Kenny and Charlie where backpacking in, but Jeremy wanted to day hike it due to plans on Sunday. I agreed to do it in a day as well.
Friday, we left work around three getting us up there by five after some photos on the way.

Bear Dome

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Jackass Meadows

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Then time for more beer and some fishing

Jeremy and a rainbow

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Shortly after the Roses (Team Thorn) showed up, we set up camp just below the trail head parking lot. More beers, a fire, a blue moon, great friends, and a horrid taste of ol number seven.

Blue moon rising

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Early start was key, we left the Hooper Diversion Dam at seven and the first mile and a half is steep and slow, much harder for team Thorn with their hiking packs. The crux of the first leg of the hike for sure.

Moon setting, elevation gain beginning

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When you reach the view of Infant Buttes it's pretty mellow to Gordon Lakes which was base camp for team Thorn.

An Infant Butte

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We reached Gordon Lake at 9:45. Having gained about 2500' we relaxed, ate lunch, fished, and pumped water for the push to Hooper. At 11:00 we started our trek. Jeremy and I had 3:30 as the time we needed to be off the summit and heading down, but we were hoping for earlier. So it began, as Kenny always says "walking slowly feeling poorly" and we did just this.
The view of Harvey Lake and a cool little summit that watches over it. For us it was the end of the first uphill and a place to take a short rest and loath the next hill.

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Harvey Lake

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Drop offs everywhere

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Infant Buttes in the background

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Some pics from atop the next hill. Hooper looking way far away still.

Mt Hooper

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Hooper Lake with an unnamed peak

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Notice the green color of Hooper Lake, not the usual blue. Maybe a geologist knows why, but we were thinking some kind of mineral is the cause.

Cool arch and Neil Lake

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Unnamed Peak and Chamberlain Lake

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At this point we were on the third hill, which was the longest, steepest, and hardest. Sand, small trees or bushwacking, talus, and elevation made for slow progress and thoughts of doubt.

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Mt Shinn in the distance

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Mother Rowan (white) and her daughter Adu

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This is a good shot of the hiking up the third slope. Feeling my heartbeat pound in my head with each step is a good feeling.

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Top of the last major slope was a relief, even if Hooper was still a little farther. At 12000' now.

Hooper from false summit

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Jeremy napping and Kenny hurting I mean hiking

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Final approach

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A Thunderstorm's generosity

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Graveyard Peak in middleground and then Ritter!

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Rose Lake

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Reaching a summit is a great feeling. All the doubts have faded and the beauty takes full grip. I think how small and insignificant I am, my time is limited, but I'm grateful to experience such places. The Sierra Nevada will be here long after I'm gone, but I have plenty more peaks to see and there are plenty more...

Darwin on the middle left in the distance

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Missing photo ID#261764

Jeremy bouldering 1,000' high

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Marie Lake and Seven Gables

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Summit Register

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Kenny on the 5.4 crack

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Kenny back on top of Hooper 35 years later

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All seven of us

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This was only Jeremy and my halfway point, it was a little after three and we had 5,000' to descend. The way up is hard on your heart, head, and lungs. The way down is hard on everything else. By the time we reached my truck it was seven and we were both exhausted. My legs, knees, and feet were all cursing me, but I was overjoyed to be in a chair cooking some Mountain House.
12 hours truck to truck, about 12 total miles, and 10,000' total elevation. I highly recommend Mt Hooper and hope you guys add to the register, because there weren't too many names in there. The oldest was from 2010, don't know what happened to the old one. A party from Germany was in there twice, with a year in between. Laters.

Nice work fellas! I'm heading in there for three days in early October with some old buddies for an annual "Get away from it all" weekend. I have some questions about where to make a basecamp and which ridge to get on if we feel kinda class 3/fourish instead of slogging the class 2-3. I might hit you up on e-mail. We'd like to get to one of those high lakes from the diversion dam on day one, then climb day 2. Head back to camp that night for happy hour, then hike out day three with bellies full of fish and a summit under our belts. If we stayed at Hooper or Neil lake, how does that west or "north" ridge look?
(the left hand skyline. Or could we head up and through that sandy notch on the right side....which would be cooler?)

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Again, way to get after it. Thanks for the report.
See yall around. You coming to the Tollhouse Face-Off?

Micro- the best place to base camp would probably be Harvey lake. The fishing is best there and there's a cool campsite. Hooper and Neil are right next to each other which is weird cause Neil didn't have fish and Hooper did. Or maybe they were just hiding in neil:-) As far as the North approach I do think it's possible and would be cooler, but you guys would know if you were up for it. I turned around on the sandy part you mentioned when my dog was sending boulders at me from above. Surely either is more challenging, but it sucks not getting to summit. It's a great area and you guys are going to love it. Have fun and yes I'll see you at the faceoff.

Twenty years ago or so a friend and I camped at Hooper Lake then circled the cirque by ascending the north ridge and descending your route. I recall the descent being a bit of a bushwhack. I once camped at Chamberlain Lake with the intent of ascending the arete in you photos but a very cold day with freakishly strong winds caused me to abandon the idea. This is a really cool area.

That was a fabulous read, Justin.
"Cool arch and Neil Lake" was a glorious shot, as was the one with Jeremy on top of that very strange formation - totally photoshopped, right?
8)
As a strictly vicarious climber, I think reading your trip reports will be the way to go for me.
I look forward to being dazzled by your heights.
AA

I missed this first time around nice pictures and hard hike. When I dayhiked it we went past Chamberlain lake. I hope you made sure the register was on the summit block! When I did it with my daughter I refused to let her sign it without making it to the top. Heres a picture of some bouldering near Chamberlain Lake.

Haha slater. No driving backwards on that rd. Jeremy saw the woodpecker, I just acted like I did to seem like I was cool. Maybe if I had one them fancy bird call recorder thingamajiggers I could of taken a picture. RBBC out.

We did Hooper this weekend. over three days. Got on the ridge at Harvey Lake by taking a steep chute just off the East side of the lake. Summited around noon on our second day. Great place. My buddy Eric had always wanted to sit on top of Hooper so we made a fun trip out of it. Not many folks get back in there these days from the look of things. I was the only one to sit on the summit, since the other dudes were sketched, so we were at least successful as a team. I didn't blame em. Those last moves were super exposed eh?

Anyways, here's a couple shots from our day on that ridge. What a fun long place to hang out for the day.

Brie, crackers and caviar on the summit. Yup, caviar. Eric surprised us. A first for me. Tasted like salty Powerbait.

Yeah limpingcrab. It is one that catches your eye and looks fun. Guess it's not tall enough to bear a name. At least not on a map. Wonder if this keeps people away from climbing it. Last summer I was stoked to be on top of Ansel Adams Peak, everything about it was perfect. Then back at camp I realized I had done an unnamed peak and I must admit I was a little bummed. Ha, so stupid in reality, cause it was a perfect day/peak. I guess my ego needed a named peak.

A buddy, who had scouted that ridge and said 'nyet' confirmed an easier
route wandering upward just south of the stream down from
Chamberlain. Marveled for awhile at the eagles pulling trout out
that lake then followed the inlet trickle till a sparse forested slope can be hiked directly to Hoopers summit.